Unlucky Chef and Troubled Maidens
by Pandaren-storyteller
Summary: Due to Index's monstrous appetite, Touma is forced to find a job to compensate for the lack of money. He finds one as a chef, but there's a problem. Full summary inside! Pairings included. 3


**Story type: **long-term

**Pairing: **Mikoto x Touma x kuroko….?x?x?x?

**Summary:** : Due to Index's monstrous appetite, Touma is forced to find a job to compensate for the lack of money. He finds one as a chef, but there's a problem. The place he'll be working at just happens to be Mikoto's dorm. And when Kuroko finds him working there on his first day... well, lets just say Touma's already difficult job just got worst.

**Title:**

"_**Unlucky Chef and Troubled Maidens"**_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Touma rules!**

* * *

Birds, big and small, sang as they relaxed upon tree branches. Their melodic chirping could be heard across the quiet grounds of the student dormitories. And aside from the sounds of the great outdoors it was a fairly nice day. The weather was clear and sunny with a cool gentle breeze mixed in. It could've been a lovely day for Kamijyo Touma if it weren't for a certain Sister.

Index, the MVP of Neccesarius, has once again shattered his pleasant morning.

"Touma!!! You overcooked the eggs again!" She accused dramatically.

Sitting across from her was the said boy, groaning at her loudness. He tiredly ruffled his black hair before replying in an irritant voice.

"If you don't like it then don't eat it!"

"But I'm a growing girl, Touma, I need food!!" She poked her burnt eggs in disgust. "Not some blackened thing that I know is inedible."

"Oi," It was his turn to accuse her. "Who was it that caused that cooking mistake? Huh?"

"…"

"And who was the one that limited me to _only _cooking eggs for breakfast?"

"…me…"

The older boy nodded in agreement. "Exactly so don't go complaining about that."

"But…"

"Don't start it again Index."

"But… but…" Index bit her lower lip and looked up at him. "Touma…"

Kamijyo, in turn, glanced away and crossed his arms. There was no way he was going to be coaxed into making another sunny-side up egg. Nuh uh, no way!

"Touma… I'm dying…"

"No you're not!"

"But Touma…" Index pleaded.

The distance between her face and his, lessened with each decline that Touma made.

"No!"

"Hungry!!"

The imagine breaker boy shook his head left to right, standing his ground. He shall not fall!

"Pretty please, Touma?"

"Go eat cereal instead." He suggested. "There's plenty of that!"

"But there's no milk, remember?"

"…"

"Touma…"

Index eventually hit his personal space, forcing Kamijyo to look back at her begging eyes. He was so going to regret this later, he just knew it.

"Alright, fine, fine… I'll do it." He said reluctantly.

"Yay!" Cheered Index as she hummed a song about eggs and juice.

The defeated teen stood up and proceeded to head to the kitchen to cook breakfast… again.

Opening up the fridge he pulled out the remaining eggs. Then he gathered extra ingredients for an omelet. He found a sliced and preserved sweet onion, a fresh red bell pepper and some cheese. Taking a quick note of how empty his refrigerator was, Touma shut the fridge and prepared to cook.

The sweet smell of frying eggs soon filled the room, making Index drool in anticipation. Her knife and fork were at the ready and a napkin was placed neatly on her lap.

Within minutes the meal was ready.

As soon as the plate of sunny-side up eggs and Omelet were placed on the table, Index pounced. Like an uncontrollable beast she began to devour the poor eggs.

Touma watched her for a moment before shaking his head. Walking over to his closet he pulled out a sky blue shirt with a panda print on the back and donned it. He then began to look for his wallet. Index, who had stopped to observe, took a moment to question him.

"Where are you going Touma?" She asked curiously.

"Shopping." He replied.

"Oh! Then let me-"

Touma cut her off. "It's alright Index, just stay at home today. I'm just going out to buy some food." _And look for a job…_

At the mention of food, Index's eyes sparkled with happiness. Touma could tell what was on her mind and he was right when she said the next few words.

"Touma, buy me ice-cream, please!"

It was typical of her to ask for that.

"Only if I have enough money for it." He told her.

Once he found his wallet he grabbed his navy blue jacket from the bed and headed out. Bidding goodbye to the 'sister', Touma set out to fill his wallet up before beginning today's agenda. There were quite a number of stores to hit and a few other places to visit. He was such a busy lad these days…

"Ahh…. Forgot my back pack…"

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"Please work… please, please work!"

Touma hesitantly inserted his card into the ATM Machine and punched in the numbers.

He was currently in the bank making a much needed transaction. Running low on cash the teen had no choice but to come here, despite not wanting to. So why does it sound like Kamijyo was so reluctant to come? Well, it's because the dreaded ATM machine was an old enemy of his; an evil object that often spelled doom for him. And there was a good reason why this hunk of metal was Touma's worst enemy…

"Come on, come on." He growled out. "Spit it out already."

'Transaction failed. Please try again.' A second later Touma's card flew out and hit him.

"…"

….That was why…

"ARRGH!! YOU STUPID PIECE OF SHIT!"

The ATM machine was almost always uncooperative when it came to him. And in some cases it ate his card too! So what would one do with a malfunctioning and idiotic contraption?

**Bwak! Ping! Smack! Thud! Toog toog! Crash! Ping!**

Why… do what Touma was currently doing. Beat it up till it works! The poor device was treated to some rather hard kicks and punches, leaving a number of dents. The only thing that Kamijyo hadn't dare touch was the screen.

"Cooperate, Cooperate!" The teen repeated as he placed the card back in and added the numbers once more. "Cooperate damn you!"

Touma looked like a crazed killer with the way he was treating the machine. The fact he was furiously howling in anger like a wild wolf didn't help him much either. Even other students began to avoid going near him.

"Give me my money!!" **Smack! Thud!**

After the 10th try, the machine finally gave him the dough and he quickly scrammed to avoid further abusing the ATM. Kamijyo also wanted to leave the area as soon as possible since he saw a number of people reporting his vandalism of public property. Who wouldn't run after what he had done to that ridiculous machine?

_Man, another unlucky start to what looks like a wonderful day… _Thought Touma as he continued to run and get as far away from the bank as possible.

Half an hour later found Mr. Unlucky with a basket of vegetables and food products. His running had led him directly to his first stop: "The supermarket." And he was now in the midst of gathering ingredients for tonight's dinner.

_Hmmm.. I wonder what today's dish should be…_ He pondered. _Should I make some grilled pork or some burgers….?_

Looking from the prices of the beef to the pork, Kamijyo made his decision. It was going to be pork-cutlets tonight! After all, he needed to take the prices into consideration. The cost of the pork was considerably cheaper then the beef by 100 yen! So it was a no brainier to take the cheapest one. Placing the wrapped pork into his basket, Touma made his way towards the dairy aisle for some milk and ice-cream.

What he found there was something so odd and surprising that he should very well avoid the area…

"No wonder this area is practically empty" He told himself.

The Aisle that Touma had been meaning to pass through was blocked by delinquents. In fact, nearly the entire aisle itself was covered with burly and whacked-out dudes who looked like they've spent too much time playing with needles. It wasn't just the appearance that warned Touma of who they were, their baggy dark clothes and different poses was a dead give away. Oh, did he also mention the glares he was getting? That was a sign too.

_Rule number 1: To avoid conflicts like this, smile and walk the other way… _Doing just that Touma spun around and began walking away. _Heh, I should've known something wasn't right. Oh well, no need to get the milk and ice-cream now…_

He wasn't even 4 feet away when the shrill cry of a 'damsel in distress' caught his ears.

_Oh, Kami. _Kamijyo groaned. _Why is it always a girl whose in trouble? _

Attempting to ignore the cry, Touma continued onwards. Although when the word help was voiced out, he knew that there was no avoiding it now. His guilty conscious was hitting him like a jackhammer; telling him to do the right thing. While the thought of abandoning the victim was a good idea for sissy's, it wasn't to Touma. So with a deep sigh he steeled himself for what he was going to do. And from experience, the boy knew exactly what he was getting himself into.

_I'm such a glutton for punishment….sigh…_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ruiko Saten and Kazari Uiharu stood side by side facing the numerous troublemakers surrounding them. What started out to be a nice day for grocery shopping turned into one of their most scariest experience in their life. Neither girls could've predicted this predicament would be the outcome of Saten's shameless skirt-flipping.

"I-I warned you not to do that." Uihara whispered to her friend indignantly.

The other girl, Saten, who was slightly taller and had a longer dark brown hair then her, gave an apologetic smile. This didn't calm Uihara much though. The poor girl was trying not to cower from the grinning guys near her.

Saten as well was feeling uncomfortable with the stares she was getting. Gulping she released a glare at the ones trying to get into her bubble. Her usual tough attitude before had drained somewhat once her effort of looking intimidating failed. _Stupid hands of mines…_ She blamed inwardly.

"A-As a member of J-judgment I order you all to give us some s-space!" Uihara tried voicing out. "P-please?"

A bald guy wearing a black 'I love Death' t-shirt laughed along with his friends. "Sorry Judgment-san, but I can't do that." He reached over and touched the flowers that lay on top of her dark brown hair. "You see… I've been meaning to ask you something."

Uihara flinched away and pressed herself closer to her friend. "I-I'm not interested."

"Oh? I haven't ask you that yet…" Complained the bald one. "But come on…."

Saten placed herself between them and said. "She's not interested so lay off!"

Her waning glare was met by cocky smiles. Not one was phased or surprised with her action.

"Oh ho… miss little ecchi is protecting her lover…"

Catcalls forced the two girls to blush in shame and embarrassment.

"How about we flip your skirt and see what kinda panties you're wear'n." Suggested the bald one. Numerous boys cackled in agreement, their eyes exhibiting a bit of lust.

The bald boy's hand shot out and roughly jerked Saten's hand towards him. The girl in turn cried out in pain as she was pulled by the larger boy. Uihara tried to help her, but she too was caught by another delinquent.

Turning to the threat, the flower girl tried to execute a judo flip that she had learned in her Judgment training. Sadly, it failed as another one grasped her other hand. Panicking and helpless Uihara did the one thing she could do.

"Kya! Help!" She cried out.

"Shut up!" Said a boy with shades. He clasped a firm hand over Uihara's mouth to keep her from shouting any further. The other one did the same to Saten. Both girl's struggled in vain as their assaulters proceeded with their lecherous scheme.

"Lets see what she's wear'n."

"Hurry up I wanna see that cute frilled panties of this one."

"Yeah!"

"Hey, mind if I get second dibs on the long-haired one?"

_I can't believe this is happening… _Saten thought as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. _Where are the Anti-skill?! _

Uihara was thinking the same thing. Her summons for back-up and Anti-skill were taking far too long. _Oh Kami, please… help…._

Suddenly a burst of angry complaints erupted at the end of the Aisle, catching everyone's attention.

"Excuse me! Sorry!, Coming through!" Called out a voice. "My bad!"

The harassing thugs stopped and eyed the person coming through their ranks. Both Uihara and Saten also opened their eyes to watch as a boy, wearing dark blue Arizona jeans and hooded jacket, came into view.

_Whose he? _They both thought.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kamijyo was constantly cursing himself for what he was doing. After placing his basket of food somewhere safe, he immediately went back to the dairy aisle to rescue the victim. He was now currently pushing his way through the sea of delinquents in an effort to reach the damsel.

_I'm an idiot, but at the same time a hero… a heroic idiot, huh? _He thought to himself. _Oh well…Rule number 2: When rescuing damsels start with plan A!_

"Sorry!" Touma said out loud as he 'clumsily' bumped and rammed into a number of them. "Coming through!"

"Watch it!" Sneered one beanie wearing dude.

"My bad!"

_Great so what's the plan? Come on, think! _Touma slowed down slightly in order to go over tactics. _I can try the 'Oh she's my girlfriend technique'. Nah, that won't work. I'm no prince charming. That leaves me with the 'I'm with you dudes, but the anti-skill are here!' plan or maybe the'OMG IT'S RAILGUN' strategy…_

The latter of the last 2 proved to be an amusing one to try. He decided against it however, after rethinking of how many troublemakers there were in the vicinity. If he were to give an estimate it would probably be around 25 or so… not a good number.

_F- it… I'll figure something out_.

Pushing one last person aside he finally reached the distressed girl….

As soon as Touma spotted the current scene, numerous things crossed his mind at once. The first being that there were 2 not 1, but 2 damsels. One had long brown hair while the other was shorter in height and had flowers decorating her head. The second, was that they were both on the verge of tears and looked quite scared. And lastly, which had Touma seething with anger, was the fact that they looked about ready to be molested. Oh how he wanted to slam his fist on the faces of these pedos… but not right now.. He needed to execute his plan.

"Hey now, you two.." Kamijyo stated out loud. "You girls shouldn't have wandered away from Oni-chan!"

Touma was a master of acting when it comes to situations like this. "Really, you had me worried."

The delinquents watched dumbfounded as Touma placed himself directly in front of the two girls. Gently grabbing Saten's open hand he glanced at Uihara. "Next time make sure you two don't leave my side, understand?"

Both girls, still in the grasp of the thugs, looked at each other. They were both just as confused as the their molesters. Although once Touma gave them a quick wink they immediately got what he was trying to do.

They nodded their heads vigorously like obedient siblings.

_Yes! They cooperated! _Touma mentally cheered. "Alright!"

Turning to acknowledge the other guys around him, Touma nodded and put up a grin. "Thanks for taking care of them. I really appreciate it!"

"Huh?"

"Wah?" Goes the thugs.

"So if you would kindly let my siblings go…" Kamijyo said as he tugged at his two supposed 'sisters'. "We'll be on our way."

Saten and Uihara tried their best to break free as well, but couldn't. Their captors didn't budge and the bald one instead decided to speak up.

"Wait just one second…"

_Crap… _All three 'siblings' thought.

"There's no way you're related to them." The bald guy said suspiciously

"You guys don't even look alike." Commented one of his buddies.

"Yeah, check out the hair."

"One's black the other's brown!"

"What he said."

Touma gulped. _Rule number 3: If plan 'A' fails move to plan 'B'!_

"OH MY GOD IT'S RAILGUN!" Kamijyo shouted while pointing dramatically at the end of the aisle.

Like a wave, all heads turned to look at the direction.

_Hah… what a shocker. That actually worked… _

Saten and Uihara didn't bother turning to look instead they watched in shock as Touma slammed his right fist at Uihara's captor. This effectively released the girl from the bad guy's clutches. As soon as she was free, Kamijyo kicked the nearest guy in the stomach.

"Grah!"

"Eh, what the!"

Spinning around Touma delivered an upper cut at the bald one. This had the effect of launching the burly guy to his buddies, effectively pushing them back. With Saten's captor knocked back, Touma's objective was complete. Now he just needed to do one final thing.

_And fuck, this is what I hate the most. _"Run!" He shouted as he tackled 2 boys against the shelves, giving them a way out.

Uihara and Saten did what they were told and quickly fled the area. Kamijyo had recovered quickly enough to take down the others that had tried to recapture them as they left.

"You're not getting them that easily!" Touma shouted as he kneed another guy's back.

The dude groaned and fell to one knee clutching his lower back. A second later Touma was knocked down beside him as the other 20 or so thugs recovered from the surprise attack.

"Damnit…" The black haired teen staggered back up and did a sweep of his surrounding.

He was relieved to find that the girls had escaped, but now he was left to deal with some very pissed off thugs. An angry mob who were more taller and stronger then him were not really the best people to fight. Touma wondered how many bruises he was going to get with this….

"This is just not my day…" He sighed. _Then again when has it ever been my day?_

"You stupid punk!" Growled a black-eyed dude. The same one that kamijyo had clobbered a minute ago. "Who do you think you are??"

"I don't know… what do you think?" The black haired teen replied, indifferently.

"A wise guy!" Another thug laughed mockingly. "Lets beat 'em up!"

_Typical… Rule number 4: If you can't outrun trouble then stay and solve it!_

Dodging a kick, Touma elbowed one of the delinquents near him in the gut. Another met the sole of his foot as Kamijyo performed a kick. After that he ducked to avoid a grapple from behind. Using his shoulders Touma slammed himself against the body of the person who tried grabbing him.

Touma was feeling a bit confident, having taken down 3 guys already.. The others were hesitating and he could tell by the way they fidgeted. _Hmmm I might actually survive…_

Spacing out for a second was a bad idea on Touma's move, however. Because of this the delinquents manage to hit him. A cheap-shot to his temple stunned Touma long enough for a punch to connect with his cheeks. He barely managed to avoid a kick to the stomach before making a counter and clotheslining the assaulter.

_Damn… I guess I won't be leaving without some injuries._ Touma winced and rubbed his cheek. _That guy had a strong punch._

"What the hell are you guys doing!" Shouted the bald one, which Touma presumed was the leader of the group. "Don't go one by one, just tackle him."

"Oh, fuck…" _I should've just ran…._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Uihara immediately skidded to a stop and looked back behind her. Saten, who was farther ahead also halted and tried to catch her breath. They both had sprinted like mad as requested and did a good job distancing themselves from trouble.

"W-What are you doing Uihara??" The long-brunette panted out. "We gotta keep moving!"

"B-but that guy!" The judgment member let out. "We gotta go back to help him!"

"Are you losing your mind? He just told us to run!"

"But we can't just leave him there, he might get seriously injured!"

Not long after Uihara had said that did a pair of familiar girls appeared before them. Two girls, one tall and the other short, dressed in Tokiwadai school uniform landed directly beside them. The taller girl had short brown hair with red eyes and the other was a pigtailed girl with a Judgment armband on.

"I got your summon, Uihara. What's the situation?" Asked Kuroko.

"S-shirai-san, Misaka-san!" Uihara and Saten cried out in unisons.

"Hey!" Mikoto greeted with a smile. "What's up?"

"The situation, Uihara?" The pigtailed-girl repeated.

Shaking her head clear of the surprise arrival, Uihara quickly began to fill them in about what has happened. It was a quick summary and before the girl could even finish, Mikoto was already sprinting in the direction of the crime scene. The words 'heroic boy' and 'black spiky hair' in Uihara's explanation was what caused her sudden leave.

_There's only one guy I know whose heroic and has black hair. _Mikoto thought as she sped towards the dairy section of the Market. _Just please let me make it in time!_

"O-Onee-sama!" Kuroko called out. "Wait for us!"

Ignoring her friend's calling, Mikoto continued her mad dash. Rounding a corner she raced onwards, her heart pounding rapidly within her ribs. She hated this feeling. _You better be alright, baka… _

Pretty soon, she was able to see a number of unconscious bodies strewn on the floor. When she drew closer to the dairy area she could see other shoppers beginning to investigate. They seemed hesitant though.

After crossing a few feet further, Mikoto halted and took in the scenery before her. The area where Uihara had said Touma would be at was a complete mess. A few shelves were tipped over, chips, cans of soda, cheese and many other snacks lay scattered on the floor. It looked like some kind of wild party had taken place with the participants passed out from drinking.

Mikoto tried searching for her rival within the area, but to no avail. It seemed Touma had disappeared from the place. She was beginning to question if it was actually the idiot she would often chase around. That thought vanished however, when something caught her eyes.

"Onee-sama!" A voice called out.

Kuroko appeared next to her a second later. The younger girl was about to lecture her onee-sama about being a civilian when she stopped and took in the 'war-torn' area.

"Oh dear, it seems we have a clean up in aisle 7 to 10..." She said disappointingly.

"Kuroko…"

"Hmm? Yes, Onee-sama?

Bending down, Mikoto picked up a familiar looking cell-phone. "Do me a favor… can you scout the entire Super Market?"

"What for?" The girl questioned curiously.

"Just look for someone who was beaten up and has black spiky hair." Mikoto instructed, still staring at the cellular device.

"Oh… don't tell me its that boy again…" Kuroko said, crossing her arms. "If it is, I wo-"

"Please?"

There was a silent moment before a girlish squeal erupted from the younger girl.

"As you wish, onee-sama!" Kuroko enthusiastically obeyed before porting away.

Uihara and Saten soon arrived and both can only stare silently. They expected their savior to be beaten to a pulp and left behind, but they never expected the opposite to happen. Their abusers all lay on the ground either passed out or groaning in pain. It looked like the teen from earlier had given them quite a fight.

_He did this by himself? _Was the one question going through their minds.

Looking around they tried finding him, but failed as well. They turned to Mikoto to see if she had seen him leave.

"Has that guy left already?" Saten asked politely.

"And was he alright, Misaka-san?" Uihara added.

The electric princess turned towards them and whispered. "I'm not sure."

Her grip tightened upon the cell she held. "…But I hope he is…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Touma winced as he touched his swollen right eye. It had been 15 minutes since the brawl he had in the supermarket. After his tiring and pain filled fight, Touma resumed his shopping before leaving the place. So here was now, walking down the sidewalks carrying his groceries.

"It's a good thing I brought a backpack…" Mumbled the boy. "These things are heavy!"

Passing students would raise curious brows at his appearance and many would look away holding back chuckles. Murmured speculations of Touma's abused appearance were heard all around.

"Tch…"

Kamijyo couldn't care less as he walked on with staggering steps. Suffering only some cuts and bruises here and there, Touma was thankful enough that he was able to continue the day albeit exhausted. And Although he forgot to grab the milk and ice-cream for Index, Kamijyo would make up for it with some home made Taiyaki.

Taking the chance to stop and rest at a plaza, Kamijyo took a seat at an open table. The shades provided by the trees nearby was idle for relaxing. He needed it since his body was racked up with sore muscles and tired limbs. Despite wanting to go home badly, Touma knew he had to get his stuff done first.

Pulling out a piece of paper the bruised teen began to go over the next thing in his list.

"Hmmm… I got 4 places to go before going home." He mumbled while occasionally wincing.

"And the first place you need to hit is the hospital." Said a familiar voice. "Neh, Kami-yan?"

Touma glanced up to find a blonde boy with sunglasses looking at him. He was tall and had a well built body for his age. Wearing a Hawaiian shirt and black baggy shorts, the boy was often confused as some foreigner. The grin he wore was infectious in that it made Kamijyo grin right back.

"Tsuchimikado…" Touma acknowledged.

Motoharu Tsuchimikado seated himself at the nearest chair and crossed his feet on top of the table. "What's up Kami-yan? Ran into trouble again~nyah?"

Sighing, the black haired boy nodded. "Yeah, I did, but I don't wanna talk about it…"

"Haha no problem!" Motoharu said. "I just think you could use some first-aid."

"Yeah, well, I'm alright. It's just some minor injuries nothing much to warrant that."

The blonde boy shrugged. "Suit yourself~nyah."

"… So what brings you here at a Saturday morning?" Touma asked.

Adjusting his shades Tsuchimikado sat himself properly. "Oh nothing much, I was actually looking for you."

"Looking for me?" Touma repeated his brow tilted up. "What for?"

The unlucky-teen narrowed his eyes slightly. Usually, when Tsuchimikado was looking for him, it meant he had some kind of request. Not just any type of request, but rather a mission that involved the problems of Necessarius; One of Tsuchimikado's groups. And Touma has become suspicious of what his friend might say next.

"Whoa, whoa, it's not what you think~nyah." The freelance spy pulled out a folded paper and handed it to him. "You said you were looking for a job, right?"

Blinking, the boy took the paper before recalling what he had discussed with Motoharu the other day. _Right, a job, almost forgot._ "Ah yeah… yeah, I did…"

Touma unfolded the paper and began to read as his friend continued. _Academy City Cooking Association… hmm…_

"Well, after much research I found one suitable for you~nyah." Pushing up his shades once more, the blonde boy continued. "Since you're good at cooking, I looked for culinary related jobs and found a good one."

"Wait, so this is the application paper or something?"

"Bingo~nyah!" His friend nodded at him. "It's also your ticket to getting an interview for the position."

"But I didn't even…"

A hand stopped him from continuing. "I signed you up already since it was rapidly being filled!"

"Then why did you give me this for?" Touma asked confusedly.

"Didn't I tell you already~nyah? It's your ticket to get an interview! The application has already been sent." The boy then pointed at the paper. "All you have to do is just write your signature there, show up and then hand that in."

There was a pause as Touma went over what he said. He was skeptical about this… the paper looked authentic enough, but he was still doubtful. This could be some kind of trick to lure him into participating in a Necessarius mission or something. That was a possibility. And since when did someone else fill job applications for him???

"How the hell did you fill that application out anyhow?" Questioned the black haired boy. "You don't know my personal information!"

"Ah, come now Kami-yan." Motoharu gave him another toothy grin. "By now you should know that information--general or _personal_-- can never escape me!"

"Oh great… just great." The unlucky teen slouched. "I got an identity thief for a friend."

The blonde boy laughed. "Don't worry Kami-yan, I'm not like that~nyah."

"Yeah, sure you aren't…"

"Anyhow, I suggest you should head down to Tokiwadai Middle School right now." Tsuchimikado said. "Or else you'll miss your interview."

"Huh?"

"I forgot to mention this but… your interview is scheduled today at noon." The Sis-com sergeant checked his cell. "And you got about half an hour to get there~nyah"

Sighing Touma stood up. "Alright, fine I'll go…. Wait!" Touma's eyes widened. "Why today????"

He got a shrug in response. "They said something about a one time interview day. If you ask me they're pretty picky people."

Careful not to ignite any painful bruises, Touma ruffled his head in growing frustration. "Argh…. Tsumikado!"

"Nyah?"

Touma hurled his backpack and groceries at his friend. "Take those back to my apartment and watch Index for me."

"Sure thing, Kami-yan." Motoharu then added. "Good luck with your interview!"

Not wasting another second, Touma began running out of the plaza. He wasn't at all eager about the interview with the way he was now, but the only time for that was today. Kamijyo didn't expect to be hired anyhow since it was obvious that he will be denied that chance once they realized he's a 'delinquent'.

_Hmm… I'm getting the feeling that I'm missing something…. But what is it?_

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

The journey to Mikoto's school had gone smoothly for Touma, however, navigating around the school itself wasn't as easy. He wanted to get to the interview room as soon as possible, but there was a problem. Kamijyo had no clue where it was taking place! And what was worse was that he couldn't contact Tsuchimikado for information because he was missing his cell-phone. Talk about clumsy and bad-luck… No phone equals no time to tell if he was late or not.

So with not much choices left, Kamijyo settled with asking directions. That was actually the first thing that came into mind after he had managed to calm himself. He was fortunate enough that there were still students walking about the school on a weekend. There were plenty of people to ask for directions, but sadly… there were no staff around to get better help. He'll just make do with the students.

Taking the application paper out, Touma tried his luck with one of the girls passing by.

"Excuse me!" He called out. "But can you help me with something?"

A trio of students turned to look at him. There was a pause before a short burst of giggles leaked out. Kamijyo had a hunch it was probably his face's fault. _I hate this…_

Luckily, one of them stepped forward to answer his request. A girl with dark black hair and eyes, carrying a fan on one hand walked up to him.

Giving a polite smile she asked. "What is it that you need, sir?"

_Hah, well-mannered… _Shaking his head he gestured to the paper on his hand. "Would you mind telling me where I can find this?"

After a short exchange the girl nodded. "Ah yes, The ACCA consultations are taking place in the office."

"…." _Alright, now I feel retarded. Rule number 20: The best place for school information is always at the office…. I should've remembered that… _"Ah… I see… thank you."

"Not a problem." The girl smiled prettily. "Would you also like directions to the school's infirmary ."

There was an amused twinkle in her eyes when she said this. And the way she held up her fan to block her mouth reinforced what Touma was thinking. Giving a strained smile the older teen politely declined the offer.

"That'll be alright thank you. I would, however, like to know where the office is."

Once all was said and done, they bid farewell, leaving Touma in a state of embarrassment. His stupidity was most likely the topic of the day for that girl and her friends. He could just hear them giggling to themselves and whispering to each other of how boys were stupid or something. Kamijyo felt like he had disgraced his fellow males.

"Gah… I hate this day."

Grumbling, the boy headed down to the interview spot in hopes of making it in time for his interview. He didn't even get anywhere before he was met with another obstacle. A tiny old lady was straining with a cart, laden with fresh vegetables, fruits, and a box of cooking oil. Her chefs clothing was stained with food and perspiration covered her wrinkled features.

_God damn it… _Touma mentally yelled. _Can't I get break, Kami??_

"Heave ho…. Heave ho…"

_Alright, just ignore her. _Thought Touma as he began to walk casually away. _Ignore her, just ignore her…_

The clattering sounds of the food cart made Touma wince. He was hesitant to look back, but he restrained himself. _Noo, I got a job interview darn it!_

"Oh dear… I spilled the food."

"Don't look, Kamijyo! She's using her granny charms!" The teen frantically told himself. "Don't fall for the granny charms!"

"Oh my aching back…"

"….………………………........... Kuso…"

Comical tears fell like waterfalls as the teen once again came to another person's aid. Turning back around he regretfully went to lend a hand.

"Let me help you there Oba-san" He said as he bent down to pick up some onions from the ground.

The small granny gave him a smile. "Thank you young one."

"No problem at all." Touma replied.

"May I ask for the name of this helpful lad?"

Glancing at her, he smiled. "Kamijyo Touma at your service!"

"Ah Kamijyo-san, I thank you for your help." She bowed politely. "Please call me Nora-san"

Once everything was back into place, the teen offered to push the cart. He already knew that he was late for his interview judging by the sound of a clock ringing on the hour. There was no point in going anymore.

"You don't need to that" The grandma insisted. "And don't you need to do something here?"

Touma shook his head. "I… uh, forgot what I was going to do."

The senior citizen was silent for a moment. "Well in that case would it trouble you to help me with some things?"

Thinking about it the boy nodded. "Sure." _I might as well help while I'm still here…_

"Good! Lets head down to the cafeteria and put on some proper clothes."

"Eh?"

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

_I should've said no…. _

When Touma agreed to help the granny, he didn't expect to be helping in a rather grand level. Now dressed in a full white chefs coat and cook pants, Touma found himself dicing carrots. Around him many other chefs were at work, all furiously chopping or cooking something on the stoves. They all look like university students or real professionals with the way they handled things in the kitchen.

Being thrust in this environment so suddenly and naturally, however, was not something Kamijyo found great. He neither felt thrilled nor delighted to work at such a short notice. Plus it was uncomfortable to know that 95% of the chefs in the kitchen were females.

"I really should have said no…."

"Nice dicing skills Kamikyo-san" The granny from before was standing on a stool next to him, smiling gleefully.

"Ano… I don't mean to be rude, but…" Touma began to say.

"No need to say anything!" Nora cut him off. "We chefs are glad that you came to help."

A few workers flashed him a smile while others winked. If Touma wasn't so focused on not cutting his fingers off then he would have blushed in return.

"We were short handed, to be honest with you." The old lady explained.

_You call 30 people shorthanded?_

"But now that you're here, things are going smoothly." She patted him on the back. "Please continue with the pace."

"Can I at least get how many people we are cooking for?" Touma asked. It would be nice to know how many more carrots, mushrooms, celery, and tomatoes he needed to cut…

"We are currently serving 400 people." The grandma stated as she continued her observation.

Touma nearly dropped his knife at the number. As far as he can remember-- which isn't too far-- Touma had never cooked for that many people before.

"But you don't need to cut much more." The grandma told him.

_Oh thank goodness…_

"Instead, you'll be helping with the Clam chowder and Kenchinjiru (vegetable soup)!" Nora finished happily.

"…."_ F it!_ "Nora-san…"

The old lady blinked. "Yes?"

"Please just give me the list of the things you want me to do." Touma said. "And show me where help is required."

Before Nora can say anything Touma upped his speed. With concentrated energy he began working furiously. If he wanted to get out of there quickly he was going to need to move fast.

A few of the chefs near him jumped at his sudden jolt of energy. Then, with knowing smiles, they too began to join him.

For the next hour Touma was working like crazy. He moved about the kitchen rapidly, helping with anything he and taking the time to learn a few things. Hey! If he was going to work as a temporary chef he might as well learn something from this experience. And by the time all was done, Kamijyo was sitting on a stool panting and a little bit sweaty.

"Salvation!" He dramatically let out, eliciting a few giggles from his temporary 'co-workers'.

Nora, bubbly and smiling, came to Kamijyo and handed him a glass of water. The boy gladly accepted and downed the drink in one gulp.

"Ahh… that was good." He sighed contently.

"Well done Kamijyo-san. You worked hard and I'm surprised at your skills." The grandma said. "Are you aiming to be a Cook someday?"

The black haired teen shook his head. "Not really, but it does sound like a good career."

"I agree. I believe a chef would suit you well given a bit more practice."

Touma laughed and stood up. "Well, I gotta head out now. It's a pleasure working with you, Nora-san."

The old chef smiled. "The same goes for you young one."

"Bye then Nora-san." Bidding goodbye to the rest of the kitchen staff Touma headed out.

_Hmmm… I feel a little bit better now…. _Thought Touma as he made his way to the changing room.

And as he left a certain old lady pulled out a folded paper and placed a red stamp at the corner. "I will definitely be seeing you soon, Kamijyo Touma."

* * *

**Well another story uploaded =3!! Here's one more contribution to the _To Aru Majutsu no Index_ section. Hope everyone had a good read. Once again Reviews are appreciated xD!! Now to work on my manga lol! I won't be back for any updates till I finished 8 pages... or so... (probably take about a week O_O then go back to making fics)**

**Anywho... I hope that this story will motivate more people to make TAMNI Fics! This section is still too small and so I encourage readers to make stories to fill it up. One-shots, drabbles, long-fics, etc. Please make some contributions! I beg of you! I wanna read more Touma and Mikoto or any pairing T-T!! **

**P.S. I apologize for the grammar errors and any other problems that occured in the fic. Real sorry!**

**Laters!**


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